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Braun back in action; Segura sidelined with thigh bruise

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Segura's injury 1:49

4/7/13: Jean Segura holds onto the ball to get the forceout after Gerardo Parra slides into him and shakes off an apparent injury

By Adam McCalvy
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MLB.com |

CHICAGO -- Shortstop Jean Segura remained sidelined with a deep left thigh bruise, but the Brewers received a much-needed boost Monday when left fielder Ryan Braun returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with a stiff neck.

He contributed three hits, a run scored and an RBI to the Brewers' 7-4 win over the Cubs.

As the Brewers took the field for batting practice, Braun, who had received treatment all morning, was still unsure of his availability. He took batting practice for the first time since his neck locked up during his second round of swings on Friday.

"I guess it took a little while to make sure," Braun said. "Obviously, I'm a little tentative and it's not 100 percent better, so I wanted to make sure I could get through multiple swings and throwing, fielding, all the things I needed to do to get in there and play."

Segura, though, was missing. He was injured in the third inning of Friday's loss to the D-backs when Gerardo Parra slid into second base to break up a double play and jammed his left knee into Segura's left thigh.

It was clear Monday that Segura was still in serious pain when he limped onto the field during introductions before the Cubs' home opener.

"Still sore," he said. "Hopefully it will be better [Tuesday]."

Segura was off to a terrific start, going 9-for-20 in his first six games. Luckily, the Brewers are stocked with three other shortstops: Alex Gonzalez, who started there Monday, Yuniesky Betancourt, who manned third for the injured Aramis Ramirez, and Josh Prince, who began his professional career at short but has since switched to a super-utility role.

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.